The Beast in the Corner
by Draenog Glas
Summary: Sonic seems fine. He has nothing wrong with him, no problems of any kind. But little does anyone know, he has a beast in the corner. AU. Strict T rating for violence, language, and some sexual content.
1. Chapter 1

The sun was setting, light breaking through the window.

_Look at that sun_, he said to himself. _Look at it shine so brightly, unlike you._

His face was shining, a little. His quills shimmering in the darkness, a sapphire gem glinting as the sun greeted him. Everything was quiet in his house, and all the lights were shut off. People wondered why he always had the lights shut off. _I like the dark, _he thought. _I like the dark because I can think better in it. _He tried to keep his mind busy, his restless mind that was racing so quickly that even the blue blur couldn't keep up with it. He was racing with the conversation he had in his head, and he felt himself losing. He could barely even reach the finish line before he had to take deep breaths.

_How are you? How are you on this fine, beautiful afternoon you're not taking advantage of? Why the long face? Why aren't you showing it to the world?_

Fine, fine.

_You're lying. You can't even keep up with me._

No, I'm not. I'm still fast and quick. Even you know that.

_Why would you lie to me? To yourself? Lying is only going to make the situation worse you know._

Because I'm not lying. I would never lie to myself. You know that too.

He sat on the couch swiftly, about to pour some sound in the room by using his TV. But he kind of liked the quiet. He liked the darkness. He liked being alone. So much was going on that he needed to rest. But yet no matter how much he would lie on his bed, he couldn't sleep. He knew he shouldn't be worried about a single thing. Or maybe he just had insomnia today. He hated the whole notion of sleeping anyways. Losing track of time while you're in another world, and you forget about who you are and you're in this strange land and once you get comfortable you wake up and you're here in this dismal land called his home again. He hated it. So he stayed up.

His adopted son, Miles Prower, was fast asleep. He said he was a little tired from doing his homework, so he decided to take a nap. He wished he was like him. A child again. He would have no worries at all. He would only have to worry about school, and he thought the whole social system in schools was so silly he would only laugh it off and he would do his work and get straight As or Bs. But he would get to experience the wonders of such things as sunsets and the wonders of toys and technology and new information all over again. It was like he experienced those things so much that he didn't cared. He felt like he was dead inside as he gazed at this sun that seemed to smile at him. This sun was sinking right down in the horizon outside his window. The sky was mostly a great glaring ruby, fractured apart with these violets, tangerine, and golden ribbons. It was such a beautiful sight he recognized. His son would gape at it with wonder, but he would just sit there as if it was the most boring thing in his life.

He went in the bathroom and stared in the mirror at his tired face. His fur was still shiny cobalt, but his green eyes were dull and lifeless. He smiled briefly, to reassure himself that he was still okay, then resumed frowning as soon as his eyes no longer glimpsed at the mirror. He turned on the faucet, the sink holding cold, freezing water that numbed him when he touched it. He dabbed his hands inside it for a while, desiring to feel something that reminded him he wasn't dead. He then smeared it all over his face, to keep himself alert. He was awake, but tired, as he knew he hasn't slept for days. He thought that if he was going to stay up, he might as well try to keep himself up, even if his eyes were weary and inside he was crying and clamoring to feel the warmth of his bed again. As soon as he took another look in the mirror, drying his face with a rough towel, he saw something. He thought he was hallucinating. He's been hallucinating for the past few weeks.

It wasn't him, but this large, dark, and hairy thing that had a smirking mouth with jowls full of jagged teeth. He thought he heard this thing emit a deep-throated growl as well. It had jade eyes as well, as they seemed to spark in his vision, telling him that he was his next victim out of so many he killed. He wanted him dead, now.

The sink was overflowing. Cold water began to spread itself throughout the bathroom and the floor outside, making the carpet soaking wet. The floor seemed to turn translucent with all this water, but he couldn't pay attention. He could only stare at this beast's eyes, wondering what it wanted, why it chose him as the next victim, and what the hell it really was.

His son was awakened to the sound of rushing water. He could see the small golden light beneath his door, knowing his father was messing around in the bathroom again, doing God knows what. He turned in his bed, attempting to ignore the sound.

His eyes were shifting from the left then to the right, looking smaller than usual. He immediately grabbed the handle and turned the faucet off. He tried to joke with himself. _Hey Sonic, trying to make your bathroom an aquarium? Ha! _But he couldn't smile. Not after this. Not ever. This was serious. His hallucinations caused him to act strange again. _You can't be crazy, Sonic. You can't be crazy…_

He stared at the bathroom floor, the light reflecting off the water. He could no longer see whatever was in the mirror a few moments ago. The hallucination disappeared. "Shit," he whispered, as his head jerked sideways as he suddenly heard a knock on the door. Someone was here. He knew how crazy he was.

He opened it ajar; breathing a sigh of relief as he found out it was just his son. "Dad, what are you doing?" he meekly asked, his eyes barely opened.

"Umm…" He thought of an excuse. "I was taking a bath. Don't worry about it. Go back to bed."

"Did you make the tub overflow or something? The floor is wet."

"Yeah, I guess I got too carried away." His eyes no longer looked down at his son, but at something else. Miles wasn't sure of what. He always looked distant, with him looking at other things than to the person he was talking to.

"Dad, are you nervous or something? You've got to be if you allowed the tub to overflow."

"I said you should go back to bed," he yawned. Miles noticed around his eyes were red. He was probably not sleeping again.  
"Dad, why won't you answer my question?" He was pacing to his bedroom, looking agitated. His son followed him, wanting an answer to his seemingly harmless question.

"Come on dad, why are you nervous? You can tell me!"

He slammed the bedroom door in front of him, nearly slamming his nose in it.

"Dad, why do you act this way?" he mumbled as he trudged back to his room, defeated. His father just didn't want to talk to him. And it would stay that way. Miles knew he shouldn't bother him with such meaningless questions, especially if his father was up for what seemed to be days.

He wondered why he was like this. Was his father sick? He must've had something serious for him to act this way. But he didn't show any signs of sickness. Maybe something was wrong with his brain. Something that made him this nervous. Something that made him forget so many things in this house. It's been a long time since it's been cleaned.

He needed a doctor. But his father would refuse to see one. And now, he could only sleep on it. He heard the sound of his father locking the door.

There was a swift _click_ as he locked the door.. He just didn't want anyone in, not even his son. No one should bother him. He had to get to sleep now, to go on an adventure in a Godforsaken land and get more nightmares. Sleeping was possibly the worst invention that was made.

His back landed on the bed, his eyes weary and red. He wanted to try to get to bed and sleep, however. It was hopeless staying up. His mind was slowing down now. He felt himself getting weaker and sadder. Usually when he felt this way he just slept it off. Maybe he would forget his troubles if he went to that Godforsaken land too. So he had to sleep. He had to at least try.

His eyes turned to the right as he picked up a snarl from across the room.


	2. Chapter 2

Things remained immersed in darkness until he heard a knock coming from the door. He still liked to keep his house dark. He wasn't expecting anyone to come into his house today, and he actually wished whoever it was who paid him a visit would go away. He looked too tired, too much of a corpse to even answer. But he had to anyways. If it was 6:00 at night it might've been important.

As soon as he opened it, he almost groaned seeing that it was his friend, Knuckles. He was probably going to ask him for a night out. He didn't really wish to go. His mind was busy, therefore he was busy as well. Couldn't the knucklehead take a hint?

"Hey Sonic. You seem to be…tired. Did you get any sleep last night?"

"I tried to sleep the best I could last night," he said as he allowed him inside and shut the door. "Just…you know. Kid and all."

"I don't think you have to worry that much about Miles. He's a good kid." He made himself comfortable on the striped couch that nearly consumed him, Sonic mimicking him sluggishly. His eyelids could barely lift themselves as Knuckles talked to him. "Or is there something else that…"

"No, not really…" Even his voice sounded wearied. Even his lies sounded as if they were falling apart as he spoke. "Things have been going fine. So, I'm guessing you're here because you want to hang out, right?"

"Well, it's like we haven't gone out in ages. If you really are that stressed out, then maybe that's what you need."

"Where's Miles going, then? I can't have him stay here by himself," Sonic replied hurriedly, almost with no breath.

"He's smart, Sonic. It's not like he's going to burn the house down or anything like that while you're gone."

"I know, Knux, he just…can't stay here," Sonic said as he got up. He reached for the phone. Even in the darkness he could make out its silhouette. He wasn't so sure if he knew where the numbers were, however. He might as well just pressed them wildly. It didn't mattered much to him.

"Why not?"

"He just can't," he snapped back as he glanced at him wildly, phone in hand. He wasn't sure of who to call to have Tails in a different house. He realized he barely had anyone who would take him in. Barely any friends, no relatives he could think of that he trusted.

"Sonic, you don't have to snap at me," Knuckles calmly responded. "I don't exactly understand, but if you feel as if your home isn't…you know, then we can just make him stay over at your relatives'."

"Don't have any….relatives," he said, his voice quiet. His grip on the phone began to tighten. He began to think of all his relatives. He hated them all.

"Sonic, that's ridiculous. Unless every single one of your relatives is dead, that's impossible."

"They're…yeah, they're all dead, Knux…" Yet another lie. He couldn't imagine Miles with his father. Or anyone else. They were twisted and sick, for all he could remember. He knew that they seemed to somehow lose their soul a long time ago, to a time he couldn't remember or couldn't witness. He wondered if he was in the process of losing his too. He couldn't imagine being like his father. It disgusted him.

"If that really is the case, and if you think he doesn't need a babysitter, then he can stay over at my place. But I still don't understand, Sonic…"

"He just can't stay over here, and it's going to stay that way. No ifs, ands, or buts," he said as he put the phone away.

"Sonic." The room was filled with silence. Sonic gazed at him, confused, as he looked serious. He knew he was going to say something of grim importance.

"Did you kill anybody and you're afraid that Miles will find the body?"

"No! That's ridiculous!" Sonic growled. He was becoming annoyed, his anger festering inside of him. He still wished Knuckles never came here. He wished he was alone, in his darkness. But then he remembered that he was going to come around if he didn't do something. Something that his heart and mind never rested on, something that he couldn't speak of to anyone. Even if he thought he could see his shadow, his heart nearly stopped. And he nearly saw these things all the time. The hallucinations, this thing that followed him in the darkness…he could hear it snarling, drool slipping from its mouth and teeth as he continued to converse with Knuckles, and he began to sweat, his hands shaking. _Go away go away go away, all of you go away…_

"Wow, you really are stressed out of your mind. You snapped at me again." Knuckles saw his hands quivering in the light, becoming spasmodic. He knew that something was wrong with Sonic, but he wasn't exactly sure of what as his voice was ushered through the darkness, sounding choked and nervous.

"Sorry Knuckles, he just…can't stay here. We'll take him to your home, okay?"

He shook his head. "If you say so."'

It was around nightfall, the lights in the streetlamps beginning to glow before them by the time Sonic and Knuckles were walking to the bar. The wind chilled them both, but Sonic was relatively calm as they walked. At least he was away from that thing in his house. He was glad to be somewhere else right now. Both of them were quiet for a while before Knuckles began to speak up.

"I still don't know why you made Miles stay at my house. I really saw nothing wrong with yours."

Sonic was still quiet. He was too focused on going to the bar to get a few drinks in his system. He just wanted to forget everything that was happening for a while, even if it was just for the night. Whatever was going to make him close to feeling alive. Knuckles began to speak again, facing him.

"You know, something tells me that you're hiding something from your family and friends. You don't want Miles to stay at your house, you won't tell me anything, and every time we go to these places, you usually get drunk off your ass and try to mingle with all the women, trying to forget about your problems or something…"

"Are you trying to say something here?" Sonic stopped and faced him too.

"Sonic…are you gay?"

"What? No! What gives you…"

"Well, maybe you don't want Miles to stay at your house, because somewhere you're hiding…"

"Okay, let's totally forget the fact that I had a girlfriend…"

"That says nothing. I know about a lot of gay guys who once upon a time had girlfriends…they just learned that girls weren't for them. Maybe that's the same in your case."

"If it'll get you to stop asking me these questions, then sure, I'm gay," Sonic said, hoping that he would leave him alone for a while. It wasn't true. He loved his ex-girlfriend. He even had thoughts of having sex with her. But he wanted Knuckles to stop prodding him with these stupid questions.

"Now we're getting somewhere!"

He wasn't. He knew he wasn't. He believed inside his mind, he had a door somewhere. A door that barely anyone could see. Maybe it was an invisible door, or a door hidden away in the darkness, you could make the metaphor anything that you think will fit you. The door was just hidden away from everyone, and so was the key. Maybe it was invisible or in the darkness too, but whatever it's at, if anyone dared to open it, he knew they would simply be open to the screams, the panic, the absolute fear he felt on a day to day basis, the depression he felt, the depression that felt nothing but a funnel of black sand that he was sinking in, ever so deeply, into this terror, to this person he no longer recognized anymore. And to be someone he knew he wasn't anymore…it was one of his biggest fears. He wasn't sure as to what happened to him for all those years. He felt pathetic, panic-stricken, alone in this world that would simply forget about him, and he imagined himself drowning in all these harsh realities his life now consisted of, and he would be swallowed up and no one would even know of him or care that he was gone.

Maybe if he drank enough, he would be happy for a moment. For one long, tender moment he wanted to savor. Because the last tender moment was years ago, and it went by too quickly.

"I am the sexiest hog in the world, ladies!" Sonic burst laughing, while many hedgehog ladies giggled right after him, surrounding him. He was drunk, or so he thought, many images and sounds swirling around in his head and not becoming clearly visible to him. Everything looked like streaks of light, blurs that were casted on his eyes like strokes of a paintbrush. But he didn't care. Not at all. He was here to have fun. And that was something he hasn't had in a while. At least, not until the last time he went out with his friend. He chugged his drink down, and continued to amuse the women. He found himself becoming aroused, as they were beautiful, big-breasted women he knew he wanted to "spend time with".

Knuckles was annoyed and disgusted with Sonic. He wasn't spending any time with him, and already within days of breaking up with his girlfriend Amy Rose, Sonic was off trying to romance with more women, flirting with them and even making out with one. He already trashed his guess that Sonic was gay, as he seemed to enjoy kissing this woman he didn't even know. Why did he think this was a good idea to let go his past hurt with Amy? If anything, this was only going to lead to more hurt. This woman was also drunk, and barely even knew his name. Knuckles continued to give him a glare of contempt as the bartender filled his drink.

"Want to go back to my place, pretty lady? I promise I'll give you the night to remember…" Knuckles began to laugh quietly to himself as Sonic's face was struck by a slap. Sonic's place in the bar became empty as the women who once flocked to him left one by one, disgusted by his proposal. "Ah, forget all of you! I'll just find another woman to have fun with!" He shouted to them. He scooted himself to another female, but she also left, repulsed by him. "Ah, you're probably some slut anyways!"

Knuckles resumed drinking, until Sonic stood up from his dark seat, and walked to where Knuckle' bar stool, whispering, "Hey, let's get out of here. All these women are stupid whores."

"Oh, so you called them whores for not sleeping with you. That makes sense," he remarked as he sipped his drink.

"Shut up! You want to get your ass kicked?"

"Sonic, seriously. You're drunk. If you want to leave, fine. Because I'm leaving before you cause…"

"Knuckles, I'm kidding. You know I love you," Sonic chortled, smirking. He hugged him closely, before Knuckles shoved him away.

"Okay, now you're just…getting creepy. We're leaving."

Both of them were now walking back to their homes. It was about 10 at night, Sonic stumbling about the streets and slipping while Knuckles was moving at a pace fast enough to avoid embarrassment from him. He couldn't escape from him, as he began to shout loudly in the streets, usually "Wait for me, buddy!" and "The ladies don't lie! I'm the sexiest hog alive!" He didn't feel like he was his friend anymore. Just a crazy drunken hedgehog he no longer wanted to associate with.

"Hey, you there! Shut up! I'm trying to sleep!" another animal yelled from his window.

"Don't tell me to shut up you…communist!" Sonic answered back, his speech slurred. It was then that he began to ramble to this animal, telling him that he used to have a job and even then he didn't need to sleep at 10 PM.

"I never sleep! Did you know I haven't slept for a week! Who needs sleep! You can sleep when you're dead!"

"You should see a doctor for that!"

"I hate doctors, so I'm not going to! Screw 'em I say, scream 'em all! Taking my money when all I have is a damn cold!"

Knuckles saw his home, which to him at this moment was a shining beacon of safety. He dashed to the door, nearly shutting him away until he asked, "Okay Sonic, I'm going to keep Miles here until you…sober up, okay? Are you sure you can go back home?"

"Sure I can! I can get there quick, you know…" he replied gruffly. He seemed to be able to barely lift up his head. He hiccupped, then made a retching sound as he was close to throwing up.

"Then I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Sonic…" Knuckles swiftly closed the door, leaving him in the cold street.

Sonic only laughed, saying a few syllables he wasn't sure were actually words, as he clambered up the street to his home, shouting and laughing manically all the while. He felt happy, and he wanted to stay this way. Everyone seemed to look at him in disgust, but he was happy in this moment, they could just go away and live their normal lives, something he could only wish he had.

"I'm home!" Sonic blurted, as he stepped inside the kitchen. His house was still dark the way he left it, completely silent all except for the sound of his heater roaring. He loved to hear the heater's hum and nothing else. It meant that he was completely all by himself. No one else. Such a moment to linger on…

"About time you showed up."

The voice was sinister, sounding jarred as if it came from this thing's teeth. He knew it was too good to be true. He was here again. And he had to deal with him.

"Ah, goddamn it, not you again! I thought you would…" Sonic clamored, wiping his mouth with his arm.

"You're drunk. Trying to hide, aren't you?"

His brow furrowed, his voice sounding ghastly as he tried to manage it from his mouth, taking care not to slur. "I don't hide from shit, just you kn-…"

"You're hiding, right now! Hiding from your problems! Do you want me to remind you…"

"I don't have any problems. You're lying. Trying to scare…"

"You're such a shit faced liar… literally. You have so many problems that if I counted all of them…"

"Who's the one with the shit face, huh? If only you weren't that strong, I would kill you…"

"Feed me now before I eat you."

Sonic had no choice. He knew how strong this monster was. He looked in the fridge, and grabbed yet another bloody raw steak. He threw it out in the blackness, where he could see it was being absorbed. The glistening teeth and the claws tearing the meat apart was the only thing he could discern from the darkness, and the silver teeth being stained with black blood. He was horrified to see the steak eaten in what seemed to be milliseconds. It didn't last long at all.

The glowing teeth faded away, and he could hear heinous laughter that caused his hands to form into a fist. "You can't run from me forever. You claim you're the fastest thing alive, but you can't run fast enough from…"

He had enough. He didn't want to be reminded of everything. He wanted to keep it locked up in its cell, as he grabbed the nearest wine bottle, smashed it into flickering jaded pieces, as he screeched an appalling, "Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

He wanted to run to this monster and slit his neck with the wine bottle knife. He wanted to see its blood on the floor, all his problems bleeding away, until they shriveled like prunes. He wanted so much for this beast to die and roar in pain, before he wanted to take himself with him. _Just take this goddamn wine bottle and…_

"Dad!"

His face relaxed as he heard and felt his child. He was no longer angry as he no longer saw this darkness, the silver teeth and the desire to see this thing bleed. He was back in his living room, with the lights on, with him holding on to a broken bottle his son probably wondered why he was holding onto. "Dad," he repeated, deep concern in his voice.

He fell to the couch, dropping the bottle piece on the floor, and he began to hide his face and cry. "Miles…I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what? You just stood there, that's all."

"I'm sorry that I…have to keep so many things from you…"

"Keep so many what?"

Sonic embraced his son, afraid of telling him like everyone else in his life. "Just remember that I love you, and I will never lie to you, okay Miles?"

Miles found this to be too strange, as he literally saw his father standing there for a long time before he decided to come home. But he knew he didn't want to let go. "Okay dad…I believe you…"

A pair of green, wrathful eyes stared at Sonic, unceasing in their glare until they faded away into the darkness, into oblivion.


	3. Chapter 3

"Sonic, I thought about it, and…"

"Like what? You'll marry me?"

"No, not really…"

"No? Why not?"

She faced him sternly. "I'm breaking up with you."

He was shocked to hear this. He thought things with him and her was perfect. Like the ideal couple. And she was willing to throw away their relationship, like that?

"But…why? I thought, I thought…"

"You thought, but not enough. Just…it's not really working out, Sonic."

"What do you mean? I thought that you said you loved me…"

"I do, but I'm not…you know, 'in love' with you…"

He was getting annoyed now. She wanted to break up with him, simply because "she was no longer interested"?

"Geez Amy, how about you just put me in the trash? That's the equivalent of what you…"

"Don't take it that way. I just…"

"You're seeing another guy, aren't you?"

She ignored his question. "Sonic, look, I don't like doing this…"

"Then don't do it then! It's that simple!"

Her face was still clear in his mind as he lay on the bed, eyeing the ceiling.

"But I will!" She was getting angry as well. "You've just changed, Sonic! You used to love life, love adventure, bold, kind…you're not like that anymore…"

"What do you mean I changed? I'm still me. I'm still Sonic." He paused, looking at her face. She also stared at him a while, until she spoke. "Yeah you're still Sonic. You're a different hedgehog with the same name."

He was looking at himself in the window. He put the palm of his hand on the screen. It was shaking.

"My bus is here. I'm sorry, Sonic, but you aren't what you used to be…maybe if…" Sonic clasped her hand, gripping it tightly. "Amy, please…"

"I'm sorry."

She let go. Sonic gazed at her with an appalled expression. He didn't want her to leave. Not now. Not with what they've built together. She departed for the bus.

Amy glanced at the window, expecting to see Sonic stand there, letting her leave. As the bus left, she was astonished to see him become so desperate, that he began to follow the bus, running alongside Amy's side of the vehicle. She sighed, and opened the window.

"Sonic! Please don't follow me! Just…leave me alone."

He slid his hand at the same pace as a raindrop that rolled across the window.

Sonic's running became slower, and slower, until he gradually stopped. He knew the only option he had was to let her go. There was nothing he could do. He saw the bus drive off into the distance, the only thing consoling him was the wind.

He didn't change! He didn't change at all! What was she talking about? He was still Sonic! How could she leave him?

He headbutt the window in a fit of rage. The window became fractured; his head bleeding. His hands covered his head, as he screamed.

The raindrop split into two as it came upon a crack in the window, each going their own separate paths.


	4. Chapter 4

He was watching the morning news, keeping his mind busy. His head was bandaged. Everything was silent except for the sounds of the TV, both him and his son not even speaking a word to each other. Every time Miles saw something like this happen to his father, he was told to ask no questions. He didn't know why, but he didn't want to dare to question the peculiar behavior of his dad.

He did changed. Sonic would always think of doing fun things with his son, ask him how was his day, help him out, the usual things that count. But things have changed. He was now aloof, desiring to be alone most of the time. Sonic would ask him how he was doing, but he wouldn't seem to care what came out of his mouth. It was just a mechanical response, something that his father did robotically. He wondered if he was dead on the inside. He heard of this saying, and it meant that person was still alive, but seemed to have no soul. As if it wilted away and died. His dad had a pulse, but he had no heart.

He also heard about self-injury. He wondered if his dad was secretly hiding this from him. This wasn't the first time that he's been hurt like this for what seemed to be no reason. He remembered when he's seen him all torn up. Deep gashes marking his body, bruises all over, a black eye and a bloody jaw. He didn't even recognize him. When he was sent to the hospital to recuperate, he told the doctors it was all an accident. When he asked him what happened, he said nothing to him. The only reason why he thought this was that he was told "people who frequently felt numb" did this. "People who felt dead" did this too. He thought his dad would be the last person in the world to do this, but it was a possibility. Especially with how he's been lately. He finally spoke up to him.

"Dad?"

"Yeah?" He did not look at him. He continued to stare at the TV.

"I think you've been…strange, lately."

"Hm?" He was looking at him now. If this weren't his son, he would get infuriated and tell them he hasn't changed at all. But if this was coming from Miles, he had to listen.

"Just…you haven't been yourself."

"What gives you that idea?"

"Let's put it this way: it's like you have a dead…soul. You're alive, but you seem dead."

He was confounded to hear this coming from his 8-year-old son. "And what makes you say that?" he said.

"You…you…" Miles couldn't describe it. He stammered a bit, then answered. "Everything you do, dad. It seems like you're dead. You seem to be not happy anymore."

"I'm happy, Miles. Just so much stuff happened that makes me unhappy. I'll be back on my feet, don't worry."

"I don't know if I can…accept that answer," Miles replied, frowning. His father lied to him many times, but not right now. He wanted honest answers.

"What are you willing to accept, Miles? That a giant flying spaghetti monster sucked my soul out? That's the truth. Sometimes son, a lot of bad things happens to people. I think I'm already getting a mid-life crisis."

"I know, dad. I know. But there must be a reason other than this on why you've been like this."

"There isn't any other reason, Miles," Sonic solemnly retorted, his back facing him.

"Dad, can you just tell me the truth for one second?"

"I am!" Sonic's hair stiffened. He was tired of all these accusations. "You know I would never…"

"Well, you already lied to me several times, dad, so that's a lie. Just tell me…"

"I am, Miles! The point is this: I was happy, things happened, I became sad, and you think I'm dead. And now you're accusing me of lying. Miles, I'm fine. I just had some hard times is all, okay?"

"Dad…"

"Go to your room!"

Miles could not believe this. He was now daring to question his father's behavior, and he was being punished for it. But he knew it was hopeless. His dad was too stubborn. He would probably never tell him what was really going on in his head, not even for a chilidog. "Fine dad. Fine, I'll go to my room," he muttered under his breath irritably. He once again treaded to his room like a slug, and shut the door.

He sighed deeply. First was his ex-girlfriend, and now his son. If this was coming from Miles, then maybe he…he couldn't think of it. He thought of other things to forget about it. In the news, there was an accident on the highway…maybe not distract himself with that thought. Other things. He looked in the fridge. He was running low on food. He had to go to the store with his son. "Miles!"

His son had the phone. He dialed a number, and after a while he started to speak.

"Oh, hello. My name is Miles Prower. The reason why I called is that I want someone to check up on my dad and his house. His name is Sonic." A pause. "Yeah, he's been acting strange lately. No, he doesn't have any psychiatric problems that I'm aware of. Can you…" Another pause. "Great! I'll see you on Wednesday." He turned off the phone and hid it under his bed once he heard his name being called. His father appeared in the doorway.

"Miles, we need to go to the store. Let's go."

He obeyed his dad. He just hoped maybe things would be cleared up on Wednesday.


	5. Chapter 5

Sonic entered the store with his son. Usually on their way, they would discuss what kind of things Miles would like to have for dinner. But they chose to be silent all the way to the Station Square Grocery Mart. They just wished to not discuss what happened before Sonic had the idea to go to the store. As Miles took a cart and Sonic inspected certain items, it was a long time before they spoke up again.

"Miles," he said coldly. "You want me to pick up that…" Sonic stopped, as if he was interrupted.

"That what, dad?" Miles asked.

Sonic's pupils shrink as he saw a large, hairy thing devouring random food items. It looked up at him, smiled a toothy, Cheshire-grin, and resumed eating. This wasn't good. It had followed him all the way to the store.

"That what, dad?" he repeated.

"Those…sandwiches," he said, trying to ignore what he was witnessing.

"Yeah, sure. I would like that," Miles answered back; trying to see what Sonic was looking at.

"No!" He blindfolded his son's eyes with his hands. He didn't want him to see. Miles struggled to get his dad to let go of his eyes. Both of them were cursing under their breath, Miles throwing punches as Sonic continued to hold him. When Sonic no longer saw whatever was staring at him, and people were starting to look at what was going on, Sonic let go, his son hitting him in the face. "Dad! What's wrong with you?" he yelled.

"There was a guy doing…indecent things. Didn't want you to look."

"Yeah, right," Miles replied bitterly. He didn't believe him.

"Well, whatever. I was trying to save your virgin eyes."

As Sonic continued to shop, it still followed him. It began to tear things out of packages, throwing things, and eating things. People were beginning to look at him, as he seemed to leave a trail of destruction throughout the store. This was even worse than the time two raccoons he heard about barged into the store, wearing blue overalls with red and green shirts, began to steal the carts and race them, throwing turtle shells at each other. Actually, that incident made him chuckle. But Sonic kept on looking back, seeing it pursue him relentlessly.

"Dad, why is it that everywhere we go, things get broken?" his son inquired. It was strange, but Sonic knew why that was. It was because of it following him.

As he passed a lane full of glass containers, they all fell and shattered behind him. Sonic looked above to see that it stretched its arms across the aisle, pushing all the containers off the shelves.

"Are…are we having an earthquake? One that seems to be in one aisle?"

"These shelves. They're not that sturdy," Sonic confirmed to his son.

"Sonic?"

The tidal wave of falling containers began to halt as Sonic saw a familiar face. It was his ex-girlfriend, Amy, who seemed to be genuinely surprised to see him.

"Amy…what are you doing…"

"Oh, that. I…decided to go back to my hometown for vacation, because I missed this place. Still haven't moved?"

Many janitors were dispatched to the aisle. Sonic couldn't see it anymore. He guessed it chose to hide. "No, I haven't. I've…lived here all my life."

There was a brief pause. Miles was looking at the damage as they stood there, reflecting.

"Oh dear, what happened to your head? It's bandaged."

"Oh, this? Accident," he said, with no emotion.

She paused again, no longer looking at him. She thought she had enough. "Well, I gotta go, Sonic. I might see you again, if you're lucky."

"Yeah, if I am. I'll…see you, Amy."

She nodded, and pushed her cart away from Sonic in a hurry.

He turned around and gazed at her. He memorized all the times they shared, and the times she comforted him by sharing the same bed. He was now lonely, every time he woke up. He would've continued to gawk at her leaving, but Miles urged him to leave. "This place is getting creepy, dad. We have enough food. Let's go." As Sonic continued to move, more containers fell, janitors giving him a glare.


	6. Chapter 6

Weeks earlier…

He got out a handgun. He thought that this would be the time he would finally use it. He was going to kill him. Kill it. He has made his life a living hell ever since he showed up. The hell was going to stop now.

His hands were shaking as he held the gun. His brow was covered in sweat. He looked behind the door, while he was backed up in a corner. He saw nothing. No sign of it. He rolled to the next corner, in the next room. He just wanted to shoot the damn thing and get it over with.

A sound. His ears pricked up, his head turning to the left. He cocked his gun.

A force knocked him down to the floor, his gun released from his grasp. It was a few feet away from him.

He saw the beast no longer covered in darkness. It was also a hedgehog-like creature, sporting quills. They were a very dark navy blue, with ghostly white tips. He also had green eyes, a piercing emerald color. He also had rows of jagged teeth, as he opened his mouth to give out a clamorous roar, lifting his claws to slash at him. He managed to stretch his arm long enough to grab the gun. He pulled the trigger, firing a bullet that covered his fur in blood. He did not flinch. His claw cut through his skin deeply, his chest now crimson.

The gun fell from his hands. He was in pain. He tried to cover his chest to halt the bleeding but it seeped through. The beast could only laugh.

"Tried to kill me, huh? Let me tell you something…" The beast loomed over him. He swiftly snatched him, and launched him violently across the room. He landed against the wall, crashing on a table and a lamp. The beast dashed to his body and slammed him against the wall once more. He smirked cruelly as he said, "You can't kill me." His face transformed to a demonic look. "You can't kill your insanity!" he boomed.

"Insanity? What are you…" he weakly replied. The only answer he received was a punch that shattered a few of his teeth and made his mouth bleed.

Sonic could only lay there, defeated, as the beast began to take his claws and slice his arms and body. It wasn't until he bubbled a horrifying scream that got Miles' attention.

The beast faded into darkness as a shocked gasp was let go from Miles' mouth.

"Dad! What happened? Please tell me…"

"No! Call 911 now! Call the damn number!" he shrieked, spitting blood.

Miles dialed the number, shaking and explaining what was going on through tears. Within a few minutes, his father was strapped down on a stretcher, his blood-covered body inside an ambulance. When he told Knuckles what happened, they immediately went to the hospital, both of them praying in their minds that he would be all right.

He blacked out, the sounds of the siren waning out.

Sonic…

He could barely open his eyes. He was too weak, too tired, and everything was blurry.

Sonic…

He followed the voice. He lifted his eyes, soon seeing the doctor, who was a pig, come into focus.

"Sonic, do you hear me?"

He didn't felt like speaking. He nodded his head in order to answer his question.

"Good. Sonic, can you please tell me what happened?"

He didn't talk. He wanted to go back to sleep.

The doctor talked to the nurse, concerned about his patient's lack of communication. Sonic couldn't pick up all the words, but he mentioned "possibly a self-mutilator".

The doctor faced him again.

"Sonic, your son said he saw a gun on the floor. Did somebody…"

"No…" he moaned.

"But it looks like you've been attacked. We also believe you may be…"

Sonic didn't know what he could explain. He felt as if he couldn't tell anyone about the beast. No one would believe him.

"Accident," he whispered.

"Excuse me?"

"It was an accident," he repeated.

"Sonic, how could this be an accident? It seems…"

"Why would you think I'm lying? It was all an accident. I heard something, grabbed a gun, and…" Sonic stopped, unsure of what to say next.

The doctor wrote in his chart, left the room, and let Knuckles and Miles inside.

"Sonic, are you okay? What happ-…" Knuckles asked, but he was disrupted by Sonic lifting his hand.

"It was all an accident, okay? Why should it matter anyways? They said I'd be okay in a few days…"

"Dad, it's important because if someone hurt you, they can send the police to help you. But if you…you know…"

"I did not hurt myself!" Sonic growled. The nurse clutched his body, and without exerting much energy, restrained him.

"So, we're supposed to believe that out of nowhere you got these cuts?" Knuckles irritably rebutted.

"…Yeah. It was an accident. Why don't you believe me?"

Knuckles shook his head, avoiding looking at him.

"Miles can stay at my house while you get better. Just…don't give yourself a hard time, okay?"

Sonic said nothing as both Knuckles and Miles left the room. He didn't know what to do. He of course shouldn't say that he hurt himself, he couldn't say he was attacked by someone other than the beast, so he just had to say it was an accident. But nobody believed him.

Sonic was later released, without any more complications. But it was a wonder that they didn't think of sending him to a mental institution. But why would he want that? He wasn't crazy!

But yet…what the beast said. Was it true?

The hell continued.


	7. Chapter 7

He reluctantly crawled out of bed, unsure if he wanted to go through another day. He didn't even turn on the lights in his bedroom, wanting the darkness to cover him. He held his head in his hands as he read the time on the alarm clock. 1:21 P.M. He slept for a while.

The only things that comforted him from this meaningless life were his dreams. They reminded him of a time that he didn't have to deal with this constant bout of loneliness and emptiness. He didn't want to agree with Amy that he changed. But too many things were going on that made him feel as if he were clinically depressed. He told himself that it was only a small crisis. Just a small crisis. He will go back to his original self as soon as they were averted. But when would they be averted? He counted the days. This was so far week 5. 35 or so days. He thought maybe week 6 would be it. He had to stay optimistic.

What was the use?

The crisis would never be averted. He will always be a pile of shit that no one would want to love or want. He was drifting apart from his family and friends. He was becoming distant, angry, and unhappy. Once he died, nobody would probably care. No one would care…

"How about you take that gun and shoot your brains out?"

He saw a gun land on his bed. He thought he also saw the beast's green eyes. His claw was pointing to it as he gave an evil smile.

He thought about it. It would make this shit stop once and for all. He knew he hated the whole notion of suicide, but that was because he never experienced this everlasting despair gnawing at him all the time.

But what about his son? He would become traumatized about this. Was he going to abandon his place as his father, simply because he was sad?

"No." He pushed the gun away.

"Do it." The beast pushed the gun back into place.

"No!" He took the gun away from the beast and laid it on the floor, sweeping it under the bed with his foot.

"I told you to do it." The beast's arms stretched and held the gun, and then he put it on the bed once more.

"No goddamn it!" He stopped yelling as he heard his son. "Dad, somebody's at the door!"

He walked to the door and opened it. He was startled to see that it was no one he recognized. It was a squirrel, with red fur, wearing a professional-looking dress. She had dark blue eyes, a nice smile, and curly blond hair. "Hello. My name is Sheila. I assume you are Sonic?"

Sonic was taken aback. He didn't ever remember calling someone like her at his residence. "Yeah, I'm Sonic. Uh…come in," he said, allowing her inside.

Miles ran up to her, as he did remember calling someone like her, and he was waiting all week for her to come. "And I see you're Miles Prower. You were the one who called me to inspect the residence. But I didn't know you were…a child. You sounded older on the phone…"

Sonic gave Miles a scowl, then replied, "yup, phones always make you sound one or two years older. That's a fact."

She giggled. "Alright, I need to know a little bit about you. How about we sit?"

"I've heard your son called because he was…concerned about your behavior. He said you have no psychiatric diagnoses, but yet…" she stopped as Sonic gulped his drink. He didn't know why his son would call a social worker in the house, but he thought this wouldn't be a problem. He really didn't change or expressed any bizarre behavior. Besides, she was hot. He would prove to his son that he didn't need any help and he was still himself. After all, he didn't choose to end his life or…

Shit. He remembered.

The beast. He couldn't let her see it. He couldn't allow his son to see it either!

"Well, I can…uh…assure you that I'm fine, Miss Sheila. My son has been concerned about me, but that's because I'm dealing with a few things."

"Oh really? Can you tell me?"

"Bills, just had a failed relationship, and I'm really accident-prone, because I keep on getting hurt, hence my bandaged head and all."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear about that, Sonic. I hope all of this clears up for you," she nodded, glancing at his head.

"Yeah, but you know. That's life. So, you want me to show you around?"

"Yes, I would like that very much, Mr. Sonic."

As he displayed the house, he swore he kept on seeing the beast, who just seemed to be entertained by all this.

"This is quite a decent house, Mr. Sonic. I really see no problems in your environment…how do you treat your son?"

"Well," he began. "I love him. He's a really great kid. As you can see, he's healthy, he does well in school…very well, I might add, and I…"

"Miss Sheila, my dad does love me, but I love him so much that I'm worried that he's not telling me everything. You know, not being completely honest with me…" Miles ceased him.

"Is that so? Well, do you think your father is hiding things from you?"

"Uh…can you excuse me one moment?" Sonic sprinted to the bathroom, both Miles and Sheila looking at each other as he shut the door in a hurry.

What did he meant that he wasn't being completely honest with him? The only thing he's lying about is the beast, but if he told both him and Sheila, he would be deemed crazy. Not to mention Sheila would think he would be an unfit father if she saw it. Were there other things…no. He cleared out his hall of secrets. He didn't have any. Did he?

He heard heavy breathing. He turned his head, and he was face to face with the beast.

"Hiding things, huh? I want to tell you a few more things…" the beast began to shove him against the door. "You may think you're an honest father. You even told your son there wasn't a Santa Claus. But you're still a liar…" Sonic was backed up against the door. He wanted to escape the beast, but he knew if he opened the door, Sheila would see it. "You never told your son about…"

"About what?" he queried, voice shaking a little.

"About me. About your problems. About…"

"I only have a few problems, and he should never know about you!" he shouted, no longer frightened.

"Is that so?" The beast clutched Sonic's wrist. He slowly began to scratch it with his claws and cut it, blood now dripping from it. "You want your son to never know…"

He slammed him against the door, blood spraying the front of it.

"Sonic? Are you all right in there?"

Sonic lifted his body, a red pool staining the floor. He was now going to fight the beast. He had no choice.

He rolled up in a ball and struck the beast's chest. This seemed to have no effect, as he seized him, and smashed his face against the mirror. It became cracked, and he smeared his bloody face all over it.

"Look at it! I said, look at it! Look at yourself! You're lying to your son about yourself! You are a lie! Liar, liar, _liar_!" he bellowed.

"I'm not a lie! I'm not a lie! I'm not a lie! _I'm not a lie_!" he roared at the top of his lungs.

"Sonic?"

She saw the whole bathroom covered in red. The faucet was pouring, as Sonic held his wrist under it. It was still bleeding fiercely. The bathroom mirror was broken, smeared with blood.

Miles walked close to Sheila, his eyes being shielded by her.

Sonic was wearing a gown, waiting to hear the doctor's response.

"Sonic. By hearing about what happened back at your house, you are obviously a great danger to yourself and you're severely depressed."

"I'm not depressed. That incident was…"

"An accident? Like the other times you hurt yourself?" His excuses were irritating the doctor.

Sonic looked down, knowing that that lie would no longer be accepted here. But he would rather be treated for "depression" than for whatever they thought would be wrong with him if he said there was a beast at his house.

"This was no accident, Sonic. Your son said he also saw a gun in your bedroom. Sonic, did you contemplate suicide and decided you would hurt yourself instead?"

He was silent. That information was semi-true. The doctor eyed him, expecting an answer, and then he spoke once more.

"Sonic, I obviously see a very angry and depressed individual. But if you want to get better, you have to stop denying you have these issues. Once you stop denying, things will get better. Now, you're probably very tired. Get to sleep, you have a big day tomorrow."

Sonic paced out of the room like the undead. It was true that he was exhausted. But he wasn't depressed. Or angry. Or crazy. He knew he didn't belonged here. He was perfectly fine.

As he walked in his room, he could see that he had a roommate. Great, he had to share his room with a nut job. He fell on his bed, wanting to sleep away everything.

"Who the hell are you?" he heard the other one.

"I'm Sonic." He didn't felt like conversing. He was too tired, and he was probably insane.

"Now, I know what you're thinking. 'I don't want to talk to you, I just want to sleep.' But if you want to sleep in this godforsaken room, let me lay down a few rules." His roommate grasped him and he was looking at a rather pissed-off person. He couldn't see his entire face, but he had blood-red eyes and red streaks in his hair.

"Rule number one: Don't. Fuck. With me," he hissed.

He was wrong. His roommate wasn't insane. He was violent and absolutely bat shit fucking loony.

"Rule number two: No disturbing me while I'm sleeping, or I'll kill you. Rule number three: No hogging the bathroom or I'll kill you. I'm not going to put up with your shit." He propelled him towards the bed, his head nearly hitting the wall.

"And you better not snore or I'll kill you in your sleep." His roommate went back to bed, finally closing his fiery eyes.

How could things have gone completely wrong, like that? "Well…that's life," he whispered to himself.

"Don't talk to yourself either!"

He shut his eyes, shutting himself off the world for a while.


	8. Chapter 8

"Hey, you two! You have to get up whether you like it or not! Especially you, Shadow!" a nurse shouted in the doorway.

Sonic grunted, his body aching. He felt like he barely got any sleep last night. His pain just kept him awake. Shadow seemed to have slept well, as he was already near the door. Sonic rubbed his eyes, and cradled his head in his hands.

"Your wrists," he spoke up. "You're a wrist cutter."

"You want to know a story? I…didn't cut them. It was…an accident."

"Whatever," he spat. He left for the main room.

"As you may have noticed, we have a new patient. His name is Sonic. Sonic, how about you tell us a little bit about yourself and why you're here."

Sonic looked at the other patients. They didn't seem like they cared for who he was, especially Shadow. The only one who looked at him was a white hedgehog with yellow eyes and fanned quills. He chose to talk anyways.

"Uh…hi. I'm Sonic, and I'm in here for apparently attempting suicide."

"I knew it! See, I do have psychic abilities!" the white hedgehog shouted as he stood up and pointed at him.

"You have what?" Sonic said, flabbergasted.

"You can tell by looking at his wrists, doofus," one patient called out.

"Silver, sit down!" the nurse yelled. "Sonic, what do you mean, 'apparently'?"

"…I didn't do it. The mirror broke and it cut my wrist. I didn't do it on purpose."

"Sonic, honey, I've heard a little bit about you. You seem to have a problem with denial. You won't admit these things…"

"You know why? Because I didn't do it!" Sonic surged upward, his chair falling to the floor. "I'm so sick and tired of people accusing me of being things I'm not and things I didn't do! _I didn't do it_!" he hollered, his voice audible even in the female ward.

The patients and the nurse didn't seem fazed. "Sonic…you have a lot of work to do."

Sonic sat in a chair, withdrawing himself from all of the patients. He didn't want to know anyone. They were all nut balls. There was one patient who couldn't function at all. Another who rocked back and forth constantly. One was innocently playing cards by himself, but he was crazy too. Then there was his roommate, standing next to the wall. He was the craziest. He wanted to kill him for things as small as snoring. He was only in here for "attempting suicide". But he didn't even want to tell them about the beast as well. But yet the beast couldn't get him here.

He thought about the possibility of the beast not existing. But the pain he gave him was very real. The cuts, the punchings, were all real. He couldn't have done them himself.

"Hey."

He looked up. He saw the white-haired hedgehog wanting to talk to him.

"What do you want?" he mumbled.

"Nothing, just want to talk to you." He grabbed a chair and pushed it next to Sonic. "I thought about it, and I don't think you're suicidal," he replied.

"Well, at least somebody believes me. But I can already tell why you're here."

"Why?"

"Because you think you have psychic abilities," he scowled at him. "You know that shit is fake. Knock it off."

"Fake?" he exclaimed, eyes widening. "I was given these powers from the future."

"So you're saying you came from the future."

"Why yes. Yes I did come from the future."

Sonic sighed bitterly. He definitely didn't belong here. "How did you get here then?"

"They all talked about me being delusional, so I was sent here. You?"

"I already explained. A mirror broke and…I cut my wrist on it while I was fixing it. A social worker saw this and sent me here. And this place fucking sucks," he groaned.

"You kind of get used to this place after a while. In fact, I sort of like it here."

"That's because you're nutty. Once I tell them that this was all a big misunderstanding, I'll get out of here. I can't stand this shit and my roommate, who thinks he's all tough shit."

"Oh, Shadow?" Sonic nodded. "He just thinks he's cool because he's a sociopath and he has a Narcissistic Personality."

"I don't care what he has, he's an asshole."

"I just ignore him. Ignore him and he'll ignore you."

"It's hard to avoid him when he's your roommate." The white hedgehog laughed heartily, holding his stomach. "Wow, I'm not as unfortunate as you!"

"Yeah…you're not," he said, hiding his face. He didn't want to cry.

"Okay all of you, it's patient visitation. Follow me to the kitchen."

As Sonic walked out of the ward, something quickly held him by the scruff of his neck. He didn't need to look. It was Shadow.

"Okay Mr. I Have Denial, how about you call me an asshole again?" He held him up even higher, as he curled his hands into fists.

"How about you try to hit me, asshole?" Silver and the others covered their eyes as Shadow swung his fist at him. Sonic was lucky this time, however. The staff caught up to him and halted his assault.

Shadow cursed loudly as the staff tried to subdue him. Sonic had to admit that he was putting up a good fight, punching and kicking them out of his way as he tried to get himself back to him. It wasn't until a nurse administered a needle full of Ativan while he was distracted. He pushed the nurse away violently, and then he fell, point blank, near Sonic.

Sonic said nothing as he watched as they picked up his body and put him in what they called the "Quiet Room," a piercing white room with a mattress. Shadow laid there, knocked out and drooling.

"Sonic. The show's over. Follow me to the kitchen, you have two visitors."

"…And then they came in, injected him with a needle full of this stuff that made him pass out, and…it was literally insane," he said, telling Knuckles and his son the story. They were very surprised that already within a day all this drama happened while he was admitted. He sighed heavily, then looked at Knuckles. "I hate it here, Knux. Why can't they understand that it was all a misunderstanding? I didn't…"

Knuckles was fed up. He hurled the palm of his hand on the table and began to yell at him.

"Shut up and listen to me, Sonic! This bullshit, these lies, all this other stupid shit you're doing, it stops right here and now! Look at your son! You're lying to him, you're not being a very good father to him, you even tried to kill yourself because you…you…" he paused, looking for the right words to say. Everyone was looking at him, but he didn't cared.

"I'm now taking care of your son because you thought you should kill yourself, _right in front of a social worker _I might add. You know what? Amy was right! The old you would never do this! Here's the new you!" He began to mock him and pretend he was him, using a high-pitched awkward voice to resemble him.

"Oh hey guys! I'm Sonic the hedgehog! Because I broke up with my girlfriend, I'm going to get drunk, hurt myself, and attempt suicide because I'm sad! I'm going to do these fucking things and be a major asshole to everyone by putting them through this hell and then say it was an accident! _Grow some fucking balls_!"

"_I didn't do it! The beast! The beast! It made me…_" Sonic screamed, stopping at mid-sentence as some of the guards were dispatched to the kitchen.

"The…the beast?" Knuckles asked, calming down.

"Okay Knuckles, okay Miles, I'll tell you the truth once and for all. There's a beast in my house. A beast. I tried to hide it from Sheila, but it cut my wrist and…remember that time I was in the hospital? That was the beast that did all of that. I don't know what it wants from me, but…" he paused, seeing that Knuckles was no longer listening to him.

"Look Sonic. It's easier to say 'I slashed my wrists' than making up stupid stories. I hope these people help with your denial, because you're going to need it. Goodbye Sonic."

Knuckles left, with Miles in tow, stomping his way to the attendant who allowed him to leave. Sonic couldn't help but look at his son's teary face as he left.

"But…I didn't…" Sonic began to bury his head in his hands. He couldn't stand this anymore. He told the truth and no one accepted him. He knew it wouldn't work.

He could only wonder what happened to him as the staff took him back to the ward.


	9. Chapter 9

"It's time for your medications. Line up, all of you."

Sonic continued to sit in his chair by himself as they all lined up for their medications. The nurse called them one by one by name, giving them their oddly colored pills.

He didn't need pills. He wasn't messed up like all these guys. He was normal. His ears pricked up as he heard yelling. "I don't need goddamn pills!" He of course knew who this was. Shadow. He smacked the pills and the cup of water from the nurse's hand.

"Shadow," she sighed. "You've been here for months now. You want to know why?"

"Because I refuse to be your fucking guinea pig?" he screeched. "I'm not taking your drugs! Especially just to solve my problems!"

"Shadow, you've been stuck in here because you refuse to comply with the rules. We are about fed up to here with your behavior. A few more strikes and you're sent to a _real _mental institution. Would you want that?"

"Don't speak to me as if I'm a lowly child!" was the only thing he said, as he ran to his room. He closed the door harshly. Another nurse was about to follow him, until she said, "Just let him go. He's unfortunately allowed to refuse to take his medicine. God, I want to inject more Ativan in his ass right now."

Sonic chuckled, until the same nurse called him. "Sonic!"

"Who, me?"

"Yeah, come and take your medicine."

Sonic walked up to her, the nurse handing him a cup of water and a pink pill.

"Uh…what's this?" he interrogated, pointing to the pill.

"Oh, this. The doctor is making you take this for your depression."

Sonic continued to stare at it. "Excuse me, but I…don't have depression. I'm not depressed."

"Sonic, the doctor said you're obviously depressed because of your self-injury and your suicide attempt, not to mention your depressed thinking. You may also have Borderline…"

"This is ridiculous!" he groaned. "Look, unlike Shadow, I don't need medicine! I don't need pills! Save them for someone who really needs them."

"So you're refusing to take them?"

Sonic nodded. "Yeah, I really don't need pills!"

"If you do this, you'll have to stay here…"

"I don't need to stay in here! I'll tell the doctor that all of this is…"

"Sonic, you're being held in here by the court. You are deemed a danger to yourself. Just take the pill and you'll feel better…"

"No!" He slapped the pill out of her hand. The whole room was silent.

"…Alright then." She took the medicine cart and pushed it away from him, out of the ward.

Sonic went inside his room, to see his roommate already lying on his bed. "Let me guess. You took your medicine like a good little boy. A good little obedient dog."

"…Actually…no, I didn't."

He faced him, looking a little shocked. "I got my reasons to not take it. Why not you?"

"Because I don't have depression. I don't need to take pills."

"Your denial is a little surprising. Even if you're that depressed to try to kill yourself, you're not depressed enough to be whipped by those jackasses."

"I'm not…" he stopped, knowing Shadow would mention "denial" again.

"Say, why are you in here anyways?"

Shadow flipped around in his bed, back facing him. "That's none of your business, now is it?"

Shadow was right. Maybe Shadow's case was so bad or embarrassing that he had no right to know. Sonic laid down on his bed. He wanted to mention how he wanted to see his son again, but he knew Shadow wouldn't care.

He turned off the light, both of them casted off to sleep.

Miles had to see this for himself. He sneaked out of Knuckles' house to find it. The beast. His dad couldn't be that crazy. After all, it explains a little bit. Those scratches he got that one day seemed to have come from a monster. He was still a firm believer in his dad standing up against suicide and self-harm.

He opened the front door and flipped the light switch. Nothing. Just the TV and couch, looking undisturbed since the incident. He flipped another light switch, seeing everything that still remained after the incident. He still saw the gun on his dad's bed, the blood staining the bathroom. Beside his bed was a picture of both him and Sonic. His father seemed so happy, so passionate back then. "I'm going to find out what happened, dad. I will," he quietly spoke to himself.

He went to the kitchen, also switching the lights on. He began to scream.

He saw the beast. He was devouring everything in the fridge, aware that it'll be a while before he would be fed again. He heard the fox's cry and gleamed at him with his eyes.

Miles tried to calm himself down. But his father was right all along! A beast was in the house! It was going to try to kill him, just like how he tried to kill his dad!

The beast sighed. They finally found out.

"You…you…you're going to kill me!" he shrieked. "Please don't eat me!"

The beast shrugged. "Listen kid. I don't eat kids. And I won't kill you. You haven't done anything to me. I'm not that kind of beast."

Miles halted screaming. His words were reassuring enough. "So, you're…"

"That's right. I'm the beast. I'm the one who did those things to your dad."

"But…why?" Miles queried.

"It's a long story. Very long. And complicated. You better get a drink, because this will take a while."


	10. Chapter 10

"Sonic, you have a visitor!"

"I do? Is it Miles?" he asked, pleading it was him.

"No, she's a pink hedgehog. Follow me, please."

He knew who this was. Amy. For some reason, she found out about the incident and wanted to see him. Even though he wanted to see his son, he was happy to hear that Amy still cared about him.

"Hi Sonic. How are you doing?" she said, looking concerned. Sonic glanced at her. She was looking great, as usual. He however was a different story. He looked tired and dead. He was rather miserable. He put his hands on top of his head, as if shielding himself from the light, and replied, "Terrible, Amy. I really don't like it here."

"Sonic, why did you…do that? Why did you do it if you knew what would happen?"

Sonic decided to tell her the truth as well. "Amy…I didn't do it."

"Sonic, you really need help for your denial. If you didn't do it, then who did?"

"The beast. There's a beast in my house, Amy."

"A…a what?"

"I'll tell you the story. There's a beast in my house, I tried to hide it from the social worker, and it cut my wrist. I know you won't believe me…"

"You're right. I don't believe you. You know those things don't exist, Sonic. You did…"

He looked at her with a sorrowful face. "Amy, you do know that I'm not depressed, right? If that incident never happened, I don't belong here? You know that right?"

Amy shook her head. "Sonic. You need to stay in here. You're sick."

"I'm not sick. Amy, I want to prove something to you." He held her hand. "Go to my house, and search everywhere for the beast. If you look hard enough, you'll find it. I don't…" Amy put a finger on his mouth.

"I really…feel sorry for you, Sonic. You're so damaged. Physically and mentally…" She brushed his quills.

"I'm not suicidal, Amy. I'm not crazy. Please…"

She rose. "Sonic, just do me a favor. Just…" She no longer faced him. "…Stop denying things. Stop the denial. You will never get better if you keep lying to yourself."

Sonic was left with her words in his head as she left.

Denial. He certainly didn't have it. No, even if all these people were saying he had it, he will still not believe them.

Doctor's Report:

Sonic is not improving. He continues to isolate himself from the other patients, dwell on his depressed thinking, and denies that he attempted suicide and hurt himself.

_I believe that Sonic is still a danger to himself and if he doesn't try to improve himself, then he may need to stay here even longer._

_Signed,_

Dr. Rihosso

She pulled her car in the driveway of Sonic's house. She was curious about Sonic's story about the beast. Maybe he was speaking the truth. She highly doubted it, but maybe…just maybe…

She opened the front door. The house was quiet and dark; much like it was when Sonic lived in it. Unlike Miles' expedition of the house, the bathroom was slightly clean, and she no longer saw a gun on his bed. She thought maybe someone decided to clean the home up a bit.

She saw a photo album on the couch. She decided to sit down and take a peek at it. She wanted to remember all the good memories of Sonic.

She saw many pictures of both Sonic and Miles. She also saw some pictures of both him and her, back when they dated. She smiled as she was brought back to many good memories.

She turned the page, and saw many peculiar photos. They weren't of anyone. They seemed to be of damages to Sonic's walls. She didn't know why he put these pictures in a photo album, but maybe he didn't want to forget about them.

She turned the page again. She saw drawings in pencil and crayon. She thought Miles made these until she took a closer look at them. One of them was a crudely drawn mass of black lines. It had green eyes, and had rows of teeth. There was another one of a rope. A noose. And someone hanging from it.

She turned the page. There was also a drawing of a bloody tool. She couldn't tell what it was.

She closed the book. These were getting too disturbing. As soon as she lifted her head, a gasp escaped from her as she saw the beast.

"Uh…hi. Looking at the album, I see," it spoke.

"What's the meaning of…those drawings? Why are they in this…"

"That's a…strange story. If you want to follow me to the kitchen table, we can discuss it."


	11. Chapter 11

"Sanitarium! Leave me be! Sanitarium…" one patient begun to sing.

Indeed, he felt like the lead singer in that song. Time seemed to stand still, there were barely any windows, and he missed the sunshine and the open air. He missed being able to run. He missed his son, his friends. He wanted to get the hell out.

He felt like conversing with his roommate, who was sitting on his bed. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Devising a way to get out of this hellhole."

Sonic was bewildered to see that he was thinking what he was thinking. "Really? What's your plan?"

Shadow gazed at him. "It won't work. I need someone to distract the staff while I escape."

"What about me? I want to get out of here too. We need to find a way to help us both escape."

"And when the hell did I cared about you?" Shadow rose quickly.

"Well, I said we need to both get out of here. I hate it here, you hate it here…"

"Hey guys." It was Silver, standing in the doorway.

"Hey Silver. What are you doing in our room?"

Silver shifted his eyes, while pulling his arm back to his shoulder. "Well, I thought about it you guys and…"

"Yeah?"

"I…hate it here too. I want to get out of here."

"I thought you said you liked it here."

"Well, I was lying. This medicine I'm taking and all is hindering my abilities."

"You know, you don't have to take it…"

"That's how they keep you in here, Sonic!" Shadow growled. "They want you to take that medicine! They want you to be an obedient, drooling dog like one of the patients here!"

He knew whom he was referring to. Dan, a fox who sits there, drooling and sleeping most of the time. They were afraid of taking him off the medicine, due to being a schizophrenic. He was terrified of the medicine ever since, thinking he would be like him.

"Okay then, we have three people wanting to get out. Do you have any bright ideas?"

"This is going to be difficult. Those doors are tightly shut. The only way we can open them is if we have a key..."

"I got it!" Sonic snapped his fingers. "Shadow, you attract a lot of attention. Just do something as minor as kicking a door and you'll get attention. Start a fight with the staff, and while they're busy, I will snatch the keys. I'll open the door, and we'll run the hell out. Shadow, you're strong. You could probably fend them off."

"I wished it was you starting a fight. There's a possibility that they'll inject me again," Shadow added.

"Shadow, if you don't mind me asking," Silver piped up. "But why do you want to get out so bad?"

Long pause. A bird flew across the window, then he spoke. "I don't belong in here. Unlike you, Sonic, my admittance was really an accident."

"I don't belong in here either, and my admittance was an accident too!" Sonic shouted.

"Ha, yeah, you don't belong in here because you're suicidal."

"Shadow," Sonic stated. "I will admit that before I came in here, I did…sort of thought about it. Then I thought of my son, Miles." Shadow was actually listening to him. He was astonished. "I thought, 'you're his father. You shouldn't abandon your son, simply because…'"

"So you hurt yourself instead."

"No, there was a…" He wasn't sure if he could say it.

"At least you admitted that, Sonic," Silver nodded.

"We'll set our plan to action tomorrow. Sleep well, we have a big day tomorrow. We're going to make our dreams a reality."


	12. Chapter 12

"…So the reason why you're here is because you're…" Amy stopped, while she was sitting with Miles and the beast.

"Yeah, I'm actually a split part off of Sonic."

"So, it's sort of like multiple personalities, expect…the other personality is actually there…" Miles said.

"How is that possible? I've heard of multiple personalities, but not anything like this…"

"To tell you the truth, I really don't know either. I just remembered Sonic being so burdened by these things that…bam. I came into existence."

"But why are you doing these things? Hurting him and scratching him…"

"Excuse me!" the beast burst out. "He tried to kill me! And I'm so violent because HE WON'T LET ME OUT!" he roared vehemently, that Miles and Amy had to hold their ears.

"I'm his insanity! And it pisses me off that he denies me and doesn't help me! Yeah, he feeds me every so often, but that's because I threaten to eat him! But if I kill him, I won't exist…"

"You almost killed him, though. Why?"

"Because…sometimes…sometimes…" he stuttered. He then grasped his head in his hands. "Because sometimes I want to die…" He began to cry.

Amy couldn't help but feel sorry for the beast, even if he did try to kill Sonic. He felt even more sympathetic towards Sonic, who has to deal with this on a day to day basis. "But sometimes…uh…Mr. Beast, you need to realize that dying won't solve all of your problems. Especially if you take my dad away from me and everyone else." Miles tried to comfort the beast by handing him a tissue.

"It will," he sniffed, as he blew his nose on it. "It will stop the bad dreams and the flashbacks…"

"Flashbacks?" Amy then realized what those drawings were of.

"Yes. Little do you know, Sonic and I have a very dark past…"


	13. Chapter 13

The nurse heard a door slamming in the distance. Over and over. She wasn't surprised at all to see that it was Shadow kicking it.

"Excuse me, Shadow," she said. "What has you upset this time?"

Shadow gave her a glare, then swung his fist at her.

She fell to the floor, a pair of keys dropping a few feet away from her. "Security!"

Sonic zoomed to the keys, picking them up and running away from the guards who were sent to the ward, hearing the nurse's cry. "Hey, he's got keys! Get him before he gets out!" the nurse screamed, pointing at him.

"Hurry Sonic!" he heard Silver say.

Sonic went to the door at the end of the hall, and fumbled with the keys. The guards were getting nearer. He tried to see which key fit into the lock. _No, not that one…Damn it, not that one either! Fuck, the guards are almost here_!

"Sonic! I can't…" Shadow yelled, as the nurse got out yet a needle full of Ativan.

The last key. It had to work. The guards dashed to Sonic as he put the key in the lock, the door opening. Silver followed suit.

Shadow flung all the guards off of him, but it was too late for him. A nurse injected the Ativan while he was trying to fight the guards off. He ran to the door, at least wanting to feel the outside air. He fell, passed out, as his hands reached for the door.

Sonic knew the guards would never catch up to him. While they were too distracted chasing after him, Silver ran off into the distance, going near the streets. Silver was free.

A fence. Sonic scaled it almost as quickly as he could run, reaching the other side in a matter of seconds. He started to sprint again, the guards no longer pursuing him. They began to call the number 911. _Shit, _Sonic thought. _They will get the police after me! I forgot!_

He headed off to home. He at least wanted to see Miles again.


	14. Chapter 14

He turned his head back, paranoid that the police were already inside his house. He didn't know why he was going to his house, especially if the beast was there. But he needed to quickly grab a beer. He was dying for one ever since he was admitted.

He saw something that literally stunned him. He indeed saw the beast, but he also saw him with his son and Amy.

"What are you doing with my son? And Amy?" he shouted, pointing a finger at him. "You better not hurt them or I'll…"

The beast snarled. "I'm not doing anything with them! How could you accuse me of…"

"Because you're a beast! And I'll bet you're hungry, huh? Well, you aren't going to…"

The beast marched up to him, giving out a roar and lifting his claw. His claw was about to strike him, until both Amy and Miles halted it.

"Stop it you two! You both need to get along!" Amy asserted, as she tucked his claw away.

"Get along?" Sonic's eyes were dots as he began to shriek. "Get along? This thing will kill you! He was the one who sent me to the hospital! He was the one who…"

"Sonic, stop it. You need to listen to him. He's a part of you, after all."

"He's a part of…what?" Sonic sat down on a chair, confused.

"He's a part of you, dad. You have…split identities…"

"Split identities? Miles, I don't have multiple personalities! And how is that possible?"

"Sonic. You have split identities because…" she started. "Let's put it this way…" She got out an orange and a knife from the kitchen. "Here's you. You're whole. Then, something terrible happened to you. You become so…traumatized that…" She sliced the orange, it becoming two. "…You become two people, each with their own separate personalities…"

"Nothing terrible happened to me. In fact, I had a healthy childhood…"

"Liar!" the beast snapped.

"Well, it looks like each one have their own separate memories, too…" Miles commented.

"Look you guys, this is ridiculous. I never had a bad thing happen to me that caused me to split," Sonic said, as he grabbed a beer from the fridge. "But now do you believe me that I have a monster in my house?"

"Sonic, even though you really did not attempt suicide, you're still in denial. All I heard from the beast that you had a bad past. So bad, you…"

"Well, I didn't. I don't believe this one bit…" He took a gulp of his beer. "By the way Miles, we're moving and changing our names. Because I'm sure as hell not going back to that hospital."

"So you escaped?" Amy proclaimed. "Sonic!"

"What? You knew I didn't belonged there. The police are now after me."

"Dad, you're…running away from your problems again…"

"Your son is right," the beast said. "All you've been doing is running. Running from your problems…you need to be a man to your son and face them. It's not right for you to keep doing this."

"So are you saying I have to go back? But I…I…"

"Yes Sonic, except you have to tell the truth. That you have a split identity…"

"And I'll go with you!" The beast rose.

"But you can't! You're not a…"

"Here's something I haven't told you guys…Not a lot of people can see me. Only those who truly believe that I'm real can see me. This is why your son and Amy can see me."

"That's…strange. Why is that?" Sonic lifted his head to see his face.

"Because not a lot of people believe in this sort of thing."

"Then why can I see you? I don't believe you're my other identity."

"Because I'm you, of course!"

He heard a knock on the door. "Open up! Police!"

"Well guys, I'll surrender and…go back. I'll have to admit, the beast is right. My problems just get bigger the more I avoid them. And you can come with me, Mr. Beast. I'm sure the police won't see you."

He went up to the door and opened it. He explained to them that he'd go back and cooperate with them once he's finished with his beer.

"So you came back, Sonic. You too, Silver." Sonic saw both Shadow and Silver, sitting across from him. He thought he would never see their faces again. "Sonic, you decided to come back. Silver, the police saw you trying to use your 'psychic powers' on a gumball machine in a store." Silver drooped his head, as if in embarrassment. "Will both of you actually cooperate with us, so both of you will get better?"

"But I…really have psychic abilities. I'm not delusional," Silver mumbled.

"Sonic, what about you? I know you have a problem with denial…"

"Well, I don't know _exactly _what my problem is. I mean…"

"Sonic, your problem is your depression. And your denial. You deny that you're depressed. This is a problem with most males your age."

"I didn't do it. The beast did," he replied.


	15. Chapter 15

"There's a monster in your house? And it's your split identity?"

"Sounds ridiculous, huh? But that's how I got admitted here. In fact, the beast is…" He got out of his chair, then seemed to be holding a wide invisible object. "Right here!"

The doctor frowned. "Sonic, are you hearing voices and seeing things that aren't really there?"

"What? No! You can't see him?"

The beast shook his head. So did the doctor.

"Sonic, you may be having a psychosis due to your depression. I'm going to make you take an antipsychotic, and it will help stop the hallucinations. Take this now." He handed him a small, yellow pill. "It should stop making you see the beast."

He couldn't believe what he was saying! It had to exist if Miles and Amy saw it!

He was lead out of the door, meeting Shadow and Silver. "So, what did he have to say?" Shadow inquired.

"I have to take this." He showed him the pill.

Shadow inspected it. "What the hell did you say? I know what this is! This is Risperdal!"

"Well, he said I'm hallucinating. Hallucinating the beast."

"I don't think you are. If it…cut your wrist…" Silver whispered as he eyed the pill.

"Fuck this place!" Shadow threw the pill on the floor and stomped on it, twisting his foot. The pill was now nearly nonexistent. "I'm so sick of this bullshit! I'm so sick of this place! Next they're saying you're depressed, then next you're hallucinating! They just love thinking everyone has problems that can be solved by pills!"

"So, you're saying I…don't have problems?" Sonic glanced at him.

"I don't know, but this beast thing…it's probably real if I can see it, if it's right there!" Shadow launched a finger to the beast.

"Wait, you can…see him?" Sonic asked, looking back at the beast.

"Yes! Hey, I guess I'm hallucinating too! Do you see him, Silver?"

Silver nodded his head.

"So you can see him too? Then…I'm not crazy!"

"But why can't the doctor see him? He must be completely blind if he couldn't see it."

"Well…the beast is only visible to those who believe in him, or something like that."

Shadow blinked then stared at the beast. "How can I see him when I'm not even a believer in your stories?"

"I guess you believed me when I talked about him."

Shadow shook his head, staring at the floor. "Hey, you two! Line up for dinner! Shadow, you still have to stay in the ward."

"Great, more cold, shitty ass food," he sputtered.

"You probably stay in the ward so much Shadow that you don't even remember what a hot meal taste like," Sonic said, smiling a little.

"Yeah, which is why I want to get out of here. I just want to go back to my life and eat some ribs."

"What was your life, Shadow? I'm curious."

Shadow closed his eyes, as if he was asleep. He began to quiver. "Shadow, are you all right?"

"GO!" he blared, his face frenzied. "JUST GO AND EAT YOUR GODDAMN MEAL!"

Sonic and Silver left, while a nurse attended to Shadow. He held his head as he began to cry.


	16. Chapter 16

Sonic was eating his meal while Silver sat across from him. They both ate in silence, until Silver started to talk. "Would they think the beast existed if I told the doctor that he exists too? And Shadow? He has to believe…"

"I don't know if you should. I mean, the beast still won't appear…"

"He has to know, Sonic! And didn't you say that the beast is your split identity?"

"Well, yeah, after what Amy said…"

"I knew it! I knew you had multiple…"

"Silver, sit down and eat," one of the staff sighed.

Silver politely sat back down and poked his food with a fork.

"Anyways, if you have different personalities, then maybe the doctor can help you."

"But how's that possible? How could I…split?"

"Oh, that," Silver replied. "Did you have a traumatic past?"

"What? Of course not! I…" Sonic then realized something.

He could barely remember his past. He memorized his mother, who was a nurse. And his father seemed to be never there. He didn't even know what his father's face looked like. But his mother was very loving. And that was it. Nothing else.

"You don't remember your past…do you?" Silver questioned, as he glanced very closely at his face.

"Not much, really," he said as he stuffed some food in his mouth.

Silver sat back in his seat. He sighed, shut his eyes, and breathed deeply in.

"What…what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to go back to your past by using my mind. I'm sure it could be buried in there somewhere."

"Silver," Sonic laughed. "You don't have psychic abilities. You really need to knock that crap off if you want to…"

"Shh!" Silver tried to focus. He was convinced he could do it.

"Uh…hey, Silver is thinking he has psychic abilities again," Sonic remarked as he pointed at him.

"Silver, you don't have psychic abilities! When will the medicine…" the staff person yelled, then paused, seeing he wasn't listening to him.

The whole room was quiet as Silver meditated. Even the female ward table was quiet.

Suddenly, Silver began to speak in a very childish tone. "Mommy?"

"Silver, stop it. You don't…" Silver interrupted him. "Mommy, my hand hurts. Can you fix it?"

Sonic didn't know what was going on. Even the staff and the other patients were in shock as they listened to him. "Mommy, it hurts. It hur…" He opened his eyes, becoming a little small. "What are you doing, mommy?"

"Silver, you're here. In the hospital. You're a patient…" the staff person tried to assure him. Sonic hid under the table, covering his ears.

"NO!" he started to squeal. "Mommy, please! Stop it!"

Sonic rocked back and forth, trying to ignore Silver's screams. He shut his eyes, tear-stricken.

The nurse injected Ativan into him. "No mommy! Don't inject me with…" Silver charged towards her, clubbing her down. "Mommy!"

His hands were a bloody mess as she took a tool and began to tear into his flesh. He just wanted to make this go away.

"Get the heavy stuff! Get the Thorazine!" the staff person called down to the other nurse.

He saw her inject him with a strange chemical. He thought he was going to die this time. He was going to throw up his organs. Bleed from the inside. He clutched himself, crying and shaking.

Silver began to drool on the nurse, the effects of the Thorazine already taken effect. "Take him to the 'Quiet Room'. He's going to stay there for a while."

The staff lifted Silver out of the kitchen, the patients still dumbfounded.

"Is everyone okay after that?" The staff person heard sniffling, then sobbing. He looked under the table and saw Sonic in a fetal position.

Doctor's Notes:

_Shadow will be sent to Westopolis Psychiatric Center. He continues to refuse to cooperate and there is little to no sign that he is getting better. We had enough of him not following rules and conduct that we are sending him to another hospital._

_I find this incident to be very odd, as Silver had no history of abuse from his mother as far as I'm aware of. He still believes that he has psychic abilities and he came from the future. Silver still shows signs of having Schizotypal Personality Disorder and may need to be in here even longer._

_Sonic hasn't improved either. He is delusional, as he still believes that there's a monster following him and it's his split identity. However, Sonic does seem to be aware of reality most of the time, so I don't consider him a schizophrenic or having Schizotypal. He is still in denial that he attempted suicide and hurt himself. He also seems to be manipulative, as both Shadow and Silver believe in "the beast". Sonic also needs to stay in here longer._

_Signed,_

Dr. Rihosso 


	17. Chapter 17

"So, how do you feel not having Shadow as your roommate?" Silver asked, as he once again appeared in Sonic's doorway.

"To tell you the honest truth, I…actually kind of miss him. He was the one who kept things in here interesting. This place is boring as hell without him."

"Yeah…I miss him too," Silver added, nodding.

There was a brief moment of silence, until Silver spoke again.

"This wasn't the first hospital he went to. He came from a hospital better than this one for a while, and then he went here. So many people gave up on him."

"How many did he went to?"

"This would be number four."

Yet another brief pause. Silver saw the beast, whistling innocently to himself, then he spoke again.

"Shadow seems to have a point about this whole medicine thing. It's apparently not…"

"It's fucking bullshit! These people like taking the easy way out! Hell, you might as well have everyone commit suicide in here! Oh, can't help someone? Make someone else take care of it! And let's have everyone unable to function so we don't have to deal with them! Silver, I know that sometimes you have to send somebody to these places if they're going to kill themselves or something, but…it's like a goddamn sideshow! Oh, the nurses get to see all the freaks! BULL! SHIT!" Sonic leaped and hollered. The other patients could hear him.

"Then why did you decide to come back?"

"Because I had to, Silver! I didn't want to run away from my problems, whatever they are! Damn, I need a beer…"

The beast stopped whistling as a nurse emerged in the doorway. "Silver, no being in another patient's room! Sonic, you have three visitors!"

This time, it was Knuckles, Miles, and Amy. He told them all about the events that happened to him, including Shadow getting banned from the hospital.

"Sonic, that incident with Silver…did you think that was…" Amy paused.

"A what? A…flashback or something? No, that was Silver having it. I don't remember anything from…"

"You don't? Sonic, I heard Amy's story. About you and the beast…I think this whole thing means you're hiding something. When did the beast first appear, anyways?"

"…That's really weird, Knuckles, because I don't seem to remember when he first appeared. I can't remember…a lot of things…"

"Sonic," Amy said to get his attention. "What about these pictures? Can you identify them for me?" Amy lifted the photo album on the table, opening it. She skipped ahead to the drawings in crayon and pencil.

"They seem to be kid drawings. What are you trying to prove here?"

She brought out the drawing of the beast. "Sonic, did you draw this? I think you were trying to draw the beast…"

"I didn't draw this, Amy. I think Miles did."

"Dad, I didn't draw it. This was drawn before I knew about the beast…"

"But…I don't remember it…" Sonic said under his breath.

"And this one?" It was the noose drawing.

"…No…" Sonic grasped the drawing, and examined it even further. "That…looks like…" His hands began to quiver, and he dropped the drawing. "Who drew that? It's not funny!"

"We don't think it's funny, Sonic…we just want to know…" Amy rubbed Sonic's back.

"My mom killed herself! A…very long time ago…" Sonic sniffled.

"Do you know why? At least you remember…"

"She loved me! A lot! When I ran away from home and I didn't come back for a week, she…" The group was completely silent. "She was so heartbroken, that…"

"Why did you run away? Do you know?"

"I…don't know, exactly…remember guys, my memory isn't exactly good…"

"And this one?" She displayed the drawing of the bloody tool.

He suddenly had the memory of Silver freaking out played in his mind. As he hid under the table, he saw something that was similar to the drawing. A surgical utensil going through his hand…he didn't remember that any time in his life, however.

"I don't remember that either," he stated.

"Okay Sonic. I know why you are split. I know what the drawings are of thanks to the beast, but if you want, I won't tell you what they're of. Here we go," Amy held Sonic's hands.

"Whether you deny it or not, Sonic, you had an abusive childhood. You may remember the good things in your childhood, but the beast doesn't. Your dad was rarely there, but when he was around, he beat you. Your mother was also abusive."

Amy conceived that Sonic didn't want to listen to her anymore. He was looking at another patient's table. She turned his head around gently.

"I know you don't want to listen to me, but if you want to stop this and integrate…then you have to face the past."

"But I…don't remember any of this, you guys. And what about me being in here? How am I going to get out? The doctors said I have to stay in here even longer…"

Knuckles cleared his throat. "Well Sonic, if they say they don't believe in the beast, then you're going to have to make them believe. You also have to man up and face your problems. If you keep running away and denying you have them, then you'll just be stuck in here even longer."

"That's the thing! Other than the beast, I don't have a problem! What is it exactly I'm denying? What is it exactly I'm not facing?"

"Your past. And the fact that you changed, Sonic. You're also denying the beast, who's a part of you."

"Guys…"

They all scrutinized him.

"I…am going to do it. I will stop the denial, the lies, the running away…I swear once I get out of here, I will be my old self! Amy…"

He gripped her hand. "I will be the old hedgehog you used to love! Knuckles…"

He glanced at him. "I will stop the bullshit and be a man! Miles…"

He brushed his hair from his eyes. "I promise I'll be a better father. I love you," he said, as he reached out and embraced him.

Sonic's eyes opened when he felt something. It was Amy also hugging him.

"Sonic…I'm so happy for you. I…I…"

Sonic and Amy were now holding on to each other. By looking at her, he remembered all the reasons why he loved her. Maybe…at least once…

She grabbed his head and pulled him close to her mouth. They were kissing.

"Patient visitation is over! Sonic, follow me!"

She let go slowly, about enough time for him to look at her eyes again. Sonic was incredulous over what she did. He wanted to give her another kiss, but it was time for him to leave.


	18. Chapter 18

"Sonic, you haven't improved one bit since you've been here. If you don't think about why you're here, then you'll be sent to another hospital."

"Dr. Rihosso," Sonic said. "I decided to come in here because I want to prove to you that the beast exists…"

"Sonic, did you even take those pills I gave you, or are you swayed by Shadow's opinion? The beast is just a hallucination!"

"Doc, just believe in the beast for a little bit. Forget the fact that I'm a patient in the hospital for a moment and you'll see him! Please believe me!"

"Alright, how about we make a deal? If I see the beast, then I'll no longer label you as depressed. But if I don't see him, then you have to take the Risperdal."

"Deal. Just focus…"

The doctor took a deep breath, and tried to believe in him. He was very convinced that his patient was delusional, but a promise was a promise. He was seeing nothing but Sonic sitting there expectantly. He sighed, until he suddenly saw double.

The beast was reading in his book. He turned a page, then replied; "Do you even read these? Or does anyone else read these? It's strange to keep books in your office…"

He put on his glasses, as if the beast will disappear once he wore them. The beast was still there, flipping through his books.

"Okay Sonic…I will tell the nurses that your story is true. A deal is a deal."

"So you're going to…integrate? You mean, we're going to be smashed together?"

"It doesn't exactly work that way, Beast. Since I'm the original, you'll be combined with me, meaning…" Sonic halted, knowing that the next words that would come out of his mouth would be "you'll no longer exist".

"But I…want to be here. I don't really want to die! Besides, I helped you when you were younger. I need to live!"

Sonic lowered his head and frowned. He didn't recall the times he helped him, but he felt bad for getting rid of him if this was true. It was strange, both of them fighting mercilessly, and now they were getting along. Maybe if he could cooperate with him, he didn't need to integrate.

"Who said we need to integrate? If we can get along like this, then maybe…"

"No, I understand, Sonic," the beast humbly said. "You need to do this for your family and friends. You promised them. And I can admit that I caused a lot of hell for you. But this will be a very painful process, for both of us…"

"Sonic." Another nurse walked to his doorway. "Due to your admittance being a mistake, you're being released today."

The beast looked at Sonic. He shook his head.

"Actually…I would like to stay here a little longer. I promised my friend, my son, and Amy that once I'll get out, I'll be a better person."

"Really? I'm surprised. First you escaped, then you want to stay here…you're a weird fellow."

"Well, that's probably why I'm here."

"Do you want to join us for group?"

"Yeah, I would…"

Without warning, another nurse ran to the doorway. "Everyone in the main room! I have…devastating news. About one of our old patients."

"Shadow died. He was being restrained in the Westopolis Psychiatric Center, and they…didn't know that he was suffocating. He died in one of their 'Quiet Rooms'".

Sonic solemnly sat in his chair, hiding his face. Silver slowly lifted his head and faced the nurse. "Do you know why he was in here in the first place?"

"I know that a patient's history is confidential, but I feel like all of you have the right to know.

"Shadow was neglected severely as a child. His mother and father ignored him and fought constantly, not to mention both of them were drug addicts. He raised himself and tried to go through school. Shadow also had a wide range of jobs, but he was fired from most of them due to his behavior. He was later expelled from school. Shadow's life was just…spiraling downward. However, there was a person who kept Shadow sane. She was a human named Maria.

"Shadow's relationship with her was deep. However, she didn't know about the constant torment that he dealt with a day to day basis. They remained friends for ten years, until Maria died of a crippling illness.

"This was the straw that broke the camel's back. He got a gun, opened fire on his family, and he decided to commit suicide on Maria's grave. However, the police found him before he could go through with it. Instead of going to prison, he was sent to a psychiatric hospital.

"And ever since then, Shadow was sent to hospital to hospital, no one being able to improve him one bit. He was diagnosed as a sociopath and having Narcissistic Personality Disorder. It's sad to see him live in a hospital for most of his life, then die in one."

"I remember…" Sonic spoke up. "That he said his admittance was an accident. He probably wanted to go back to his life just so he could kill himself."

"That's why Shadow never got out. We knew he would go back and commit suicide if he was released unless he really improved. But…he refused to."

"You could've not given up on him, you know…" he muttered.

"That's hospital protocol, Sonic. If someone doesn't improve for a few months, they have to be sent…"

"Well, that protocol is bullshit, then!" he shouted, rising from his chair. "You don't just…send him to a new place, or give up on him. I….don't know. You just don't. You had to make him _want _to improve. His life was shit, if I was him, it would be hard to convince me life would get better too."

"But there's nothing we can do about it now, Sonic. He's dead."

Sonic stomped to the medicine cart, rammed it away from him, and slammed the door to his room.

"Just ignore him. If I was him, I would be pissed too," the nurse called out to the others.


	19. Chapter 19

He turned in his bed, unable to sleep. He had a constant stream of strange images that played in his head every time he fell asleep.

He couldn't see her face. But she was wearing very dark, provocative clothing. He didn't want to face her. Especially since he wasn't allowed eye contact with her due to being a "bad boy". He sipped his soup as he contemplated on why he was bad. Because he angered Daddy. No one angers Daddy. He will hit him. Beat him until he was black, red, and blue. But Daddy was usually away. Where? Who knows? He was like a ghost. Sometimes he wished Daddy would go fuck himself and die.

There was a full moon in the sky. Even though it was night, the house was still hot and sweaty. But the soup was cold. He made his spoon sink into it.

He couldn't breathe. He was submerged, his head being held by an unknown force. He could hear sobbing as he struggled to get himself back up. Back up to the surface.

"Can I be excused, mommy?"

She nodded her head.

He slowly took his bowl and carried it to the kitchen. Things were eerily quiet. The only things that he could hear were the crickets chirping off in the distance.

A shadow overpowered him. He wanted to see only darkness. The only thing he could smell and taste was sweat. He was paralyzed as he suddenly felt something pressing against his mouth and his body.

"Mommy…"

He was thrown against the wall, punches flying to his body. He tried to shield himself, but it only made the real beast angrier. He shoved him head first to the wall, blackness comforting him from his rage.

"Why is Daddy angry all the time?"

She lit a cigarette, it moving around in her red lips until she gripped it and breathed out a stream of smoke. "Because he gets so stressed out from his job. You know that."

"But why does he have to…hit me? And you?"

His hands were stained with blood as he howled in pain, a steel object pulling out strings of muscle.

"You ask too many questions."

His eyes could only see the moon in the sky as a moth fluttered past it, as he laid there, used up and dried out.

Suddenly, so many images played out like a slideshow in his mind, going off in milliseconds.

The patients all woke up as they heard a shrill scream coming from one of the rooms. The nurses dashed to the room, seeing it was Sonic, curled up and shrieking, "STOP IT! STOP IT, STOP IT, STOP IT!"

"Sonic, they're not here! You're in the hospital! You're safe…" one nurse tried to comfort him. She got out a needle full of Ativan, about to inject him.

"Mommy, please! I promise to be good! Please…" He slammed his fists on the bed, fighting off the nurses' grasp. Blood was seeping out of one nurse's arm as Sonic bit deeply into it, trying to avoid the needle.

The needle she used to inject him with. It was usually something that would make him become ill. She always said it would help him, but if it helped him, then why did he throw up usually blood, start shaking, and black out?

"No! Mommy, please…" he hissed as the nurse finally shot the Ativan in him. Sonic continued to beat the bed, the fists gradually becoming slower.

He then fell asleep, as if nothing was happening.

"Silver, the show's over. Get back to bed," the nurse said as she passed the white hedgehog, analyzing the entire scene.


	20. Chapter 20

Weeks later…

Doctor's Report:

Sonic has improved significantly. Although he had the option to leave the hospital, he decided to stay, wanting to keep his promise to his family and friends. I feel as if Sonic will keep that promise.

_Sonic is not depressed. He has a unique case of Split Identity Disorder. From what I can gather, Sonic had a very abusive childhood; which caused him to split. His father was verbally and physically abusive, and he rarely if ever saw him. His mother was a nurse, but while she had her moments of love, she was also abusive. She had Histrionic Personality Disorder and Munchausen syndrome by proxy. She would use Sonic to get attention, often getting him ill, once almost killing him. Sonic also hints at possible sexual abuse._

_Sonic is still not integrated, but "the beast" and Sonic cooperate with each other._

_I feel as if Sonic no longer needs to be here. When I first saw him, I thought he would continue to be in denial. However, he has proved me wrong._

_Silver has also improved. He no longer mentions having psychic abilities and coming from the future. Silver needs to continue to take his medicine to prevent further delusions and more hospitalizations._

_Signed,_

Dr. Rihosso

Both Sonic and Silver were released at the same day. They walked out of the halls, with the beast following. They were packing up their belongings, ready to leave.

"I can't believe it, Sonic. We're going to be free. I can't wait to see all my friends again!"

Sonic should be happy. He was finally going to be released. And he would be able to enjoy life even more, now that he could do nearly whatever he wanted. But he thought of Shadow. Shadow would never get to experience this joy. "Silver…I want to be happy, but…"

"Why, Sonic? What's wrong?" Silver stopped and faced him.

"It's Shadow. It's…sad that I'm getting out and he never did. He will never…"

Silver's hand touched his shoulder. "The nurses told me that there's going to be a funeral service on Friday. Since we're getting out, we should attend it."

"Yeah…I would like that. Will I meet you there?"

Silver nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay…"

"Come on you two! Your family and friends are awaitin'!"

"Dad!" Miles leaped up and hugged him, Sonic laughing. He was ecstatic to see his son again. Knuckles smiled as they spun around, Miles' body airborne.

"Wait dad…I still see him…" Miles said, pointing to the beast.

The beast sat down on a bench, sighing. "Well guys, I'm going to go too."

Sonic turned his body around. "What do you mean? You can't leave! We haven't agreed on integrating yet!"

"Yes I can, Sonic. I…feel like you don't really need me anymore."

"But you're the one who holds all the bad memories of my childhood and my past! I can't face them all by myself!"

"Yes you can, Sonic. You were able to tell the doctor about your past, no longer deny you have an insane side, you…accomplished a lot in a couple of weeks. I believe you're strong. You can do it." He lifted a heavy claw and began to pat Sonic's shoulder, him flinching. "If you can face all the demons in your closet, then you don't need me anymore. That's how it is."

"Where are you going to go? Inside my mind? Will I remember you?"

The beast nodded. "I will be inside the core of your mind. Don't bother calling me or anything, because I'll be gone. I will be a part of you. That's what integration means, right?"

Sonic breathed in deeply. "Yeah. Well, goodbye then. Forever."

"It was…nice knowing you."

Sonic felt as if he crashed into a wall of bricks. The beast crawled inside his head, being absorbed by his mind. As he was inside his brain, he had a new assortment of images and thoughts flow into him. All the bad memories, the rage, the pain, the misery. He wanted him to stop; thinking that he couldn't deal with it. But as he fought against this tidal wave of memories, he learned he could do it. Be himself again. His back was against a wall as the beast went inside, disappearing from his sight forever.

"Dad…are you okay?"

There was a large smirk on his face. "I'm okay and ready to face the day, Miles!"

"Dad! You're back!" Miles once more hugged him, joyous that his old father returned.

Friday

Sonic was prepared to give a speech about Shadow's death. He faced Silver, Dr. Rihosso, some of the nurses, and some of the other patients as he begun to speak.

"I…first met Shadow in Station Square Behavioral Health Center. When I went to his room on that day, he already threatened to kill me. Simply because I was the new guy. I also called him an asshole on the first day, and he threatened to beat me. But Shadow was just…angry because his past haunted him. A past where no one seemed to love him, or care about his existence. Shadow is yet another unfortunate case of faultyhospital protocol. He was sent to hospital to hospital, because no one could find out what could heal his torment. When he was restrained, he unfortunately becomes a statistic. The number of patients who died by being restrained.

"I remember Shadow keeping the hospital interesting. Although he was still angry with me for some reason, there would be times where we would discuss what we wanted to do after we got out. Shadow, due to the doctors failing to treat him, was still intent on the action of suicide."

He paused briefly, then continued.

"I wished I knew Shadow more. I believed he was very intelligent, and if he got to use that brain, he might've helped a lot of people.

"I hope all the doctors of the Station Square Behavioral Health Center will learn from this very tragic case and take this as a step to improve hospital conditions. Thank you."

Sonic remained sitting throughout the funeral, until Silver approached him. "Hi Sonic."

"Hey Silver. How are you?"

"I'm…doing a lot better. Especially since I'm out of that place." He looked around. "Where's the beast?"

"Oh, him. I integrated with him."

"Really? That's great, Sonic!"

"How about you? Still thinking you have psychic abilities?"

Silver looked up at him. "Want to know a secret?"

Sonic was confused. "What?"

"I was…sent from the future to help you. I'm your guardian."

"Silver, you haven't taken your medicine, have you…"

"No, really! And since you integrated with that beast, my job is done. Now I can be a cadet in defending the world."

"Silver, that sounds…how can you be my guardian?"

"I went to the hospital, pretending I was delusional. Just to help you. You've got to believe me, like in the beast! Remember when I went to your mind?"

Sonic recalled both the incident and his mother hurting him. He nodded his head.

"Well, I really do have psychic abilities. I was born with them."

"If you really are from the future, then…"

"…Go back to my time?" He smiled. "Certainly. My job is done here. Good luck, Sonic the hedgehog. Maybe I'll see you in the future…wait; we'll meet again. See you then, Sonic."

Sonic saw a burst of greenish-white light burst forth from Silver, blinding him. Once the light faded away into oblivion, he was gone.

Sonic didn't even remember whom he was talking to. He stood up, then left for home.


	21. Epilogue

Sonic proved to Amy that he has become the old hedgehog she used to love. He was happy, optimistic, bold, and kind. After a few days, they started to date again.

Sonic doesn't spend as much time with Knuckles as much as he used to, dedicated to spending time with his son and no longer trying to escape from his problems. Knuckles doesn't consider this as an end to their friendship. Every time Sonic is in a situation, he will lend a hand.

Miles has grown considerably. He is now a teenager, attending high school. Although Sonic will give him space whenever he needs it, they still have a very close father and son relationship.

The beast no longer exists. He has integrated into Sonic's mind, no longer reminding Sonic about his past. Sonic knows that his past was unfortunate, but he will no longer let it get in his way of his life, his son, and his friends.

Sonic laid a ring of flowers on Shadow's tombstone. Although Shadow did treat him like dirt sometimes, he still felt as if Shadow was really the unlucky one.

He had a past somewhat similar to his. His mother and father very rarely displayed any love towards him, and it haunted him constantly. Sonic wasn't really that happy as he should be for conquering his demons. Shadow never did. In fact, his problems killed him.

"Dad?"

It was his son. He bent down, and held his shoulder. "I think I learned something about this whole situation."

Sonic faced him with a teary countenance. "And what would that be?"

"I think…everyone has a beast inside of them. Like you did. Just there are some people who constantly deny it or they can't control it. I think you were a little bit of both."

"Shadow had a beast inside of him too. He thought he couldn't control it…"

"Yeah…"

A brief moment of silence. Sonic looked out in the distance, and he glanced at a torn flower that seemed to flutter past him. It whirled around, the wind savagely picking it up and throwing it around the graveyard. It landed near him, Sonic about to pick it up. It was a red rose, all unfurled, but the tips of it broken and scarred. As his hand reached out, the rose was once again swept away by the wind. The wind gusted it towards the small pond, the rose now drifting across the water.

This rose reminded him of himself. He was broken once he bloomed, and because of his denial, every time someone tried to help him, he refused it, allowing the wind to further damage him. But now it was safe. On the water. Because he finally faced them, it seemed like things would be easy sailing.

"Dad, let's go home. It's getting late."

He nodded his head, rising. As he stood up, he saw the most beautiful sunset. A red sun drifting off to the distance, while the sky was fractured apart with purples, oranges, and yellows. He gazed at it, amazed.

"Dad, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just enjoying the sunset is all."

His son ran up back towards the hill, watching as the sun inched its way across the sky.

**AN: Yet another project I actually finished. To tell you the truth, I'm actually a little bit proud of this one. Yeah, I know I feel like the writing is rushed, but I did my best with this one, and as the Pokemon trainers on the Nugget Bridge would say, "I have no regrets." Well, maybe except Sonic may have been OOC in this. And this story may have seemed a bit too melodramatic for some. **

**This story was inspired by a description I had of myself, where I said I had a "sane" and "insane" side, and I once said this was sort of like Sonic and Weresonic. Then…BAM. I had the idea for this story. A psychological drama starring Sonic and Weresonic. Then…the rest of the story seemed to flow right there. I was listening to the creative voices in my head, who are for some reason obsessed with the whole "Sonic has a dark past; he may have been abused" thing. And they also like a lot of psychological shit in their story. How many mental diagnoses did I mention in the story? Six? Although I'm not sure if it's right to call Shadow a "sociopath", due to me not knowing a whole lot about the disorder. Everything else I seemed to know pretty well.**

**This story was originally going to be longer, as I wanted to delve more into Sonic's past, but it kind of…was a little bit too far. I'm not saying, "Oh, the abuse Sonic had was so disturbing to me," but…seriously. Talking about abuse, especially if it hints at sexual…in a Sonic fanfic? I should've made this into an original story, but I felt better working with Sonic characters instead. I'm probably going to make an original version of this story, as there aren't a lot of Sonic elements in it anyways. And I felt like the story was the right size anyways. Not too long, not too short. I like that.**

**I actually seriously worked on this one for a while. But it will probably get very little reviews, like my other stories, while some shitty fanfic that's like "SONIC KHARACTERS GO 2 HI SKOOL" gets 10,000 reviews. I would rant about how stupid the Sonic fandom is for liking the same old rehashed stories over and over, but you know. I won't.**

**Blah blah blah give feedback and all. I really appreciate those. Especially with some of the reviews I received lately. If you want, you can criticize this fanfic as well. I'm not going to be some dumbass fangirl who believes she's the most perfect writer in the world and doesn't deserve criticism, even though I worked strenuously on this one. I know that there's probably a grammatical error lying around somewhere in this fanfic, so go ahead and criticize that.**

**And then a bunch of Pokemon killed themselves.**

**The end. **


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